National Football League

Should NFL defenses fear Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle?

Updated Jul. 31, 2022 7:09 p.m. ET

There is perhaps not a faster pairing of wide receivers in the NFL than Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

The duo is newly formed, but it didn't take long for Hill to begin envisioning the possibilities the two could enact together once he was traded to Miami in late March.

He even went as far as to proclaim that he and Waddle are not only the fastest twosome in the league today, but ever.

"I'm calling my shots: We're the fastest tandem of all time," he said this week in an interview on NFL Network. "The sky is the limit for this team. The dream is to make it to the Super Bowl."

He went on to praise the offensive acumen of Mike McDaniel and doubled down on his previous compliments on Tua Tagovailoa.

"Mike definitely brings a lot of fresh ideas," Hill said. "I feel in my heart that Mike is going to put everybody in position to make plays. I said what I said [about Tua being more accurate than Patrick Mahomes]. I'm an older, savvy guy. I've seen what Tua can do and I'm standing by my word."

Waddle was a bit more modest with his comments, but he asserted that the pair would pose a massive problem to a number of opposing defenses.

"Obviously, you always have to worry about the vertical stretch, but we can get in and out our routes too, so you can't just prepare for one thing," he told reporters. "It's always good to have depth in the receiver's room, and have people that can play different positions."

Hill's big statements are undoubtedly raising the bar for expectations around these Dolphins.

But for Nick Wright, Hill is doing more damage than good with his brash commentary.

"The Dolphins have a nice easy game [to start]," Wright said Friday on "First Things First." "But then it's the Ravens, the Bills, then it's the Bengals.

"I am grateful for what Tyreek Hill did for my beloved Chiefs, but they won without him. I think he’s biting off more than he can chew in service of being a good teammate. He’s going to be quickly frustrated. I actually think he's doing his team a disservice."

Tyreek Hill on Jaylen Waddle: 'Defenses will be scared'

Nick Wright isn't sold on Miami being a legitimate threat, even with all of Tyreek Hill's confidence. Watch as he shares his predictions for Miami for the 2022 NFL season.

Chris Broussard wasn't in love with Hill's statements either but did express assurance in the team's offense.

"I don't think that the Dolphins are going to light the world on fire, but that receiving corps is nice," he said. "Waddle had a great rookie year, even with the unevenness at quarterback. Obviously we know what Tyreek Hill is, and Mike Gesicki is a very good tight end.

"Here's what I know: Tagovailoa has won 13 of his 21 games. He is very accurate — not more than Mahomes — but he is accurate. And he's done that playing behind the worst offensive line in football. The last two years, Pro Football Focus has had him in the bottom five. I like Mike McDaniel, and I do think the offense is going to be legit."

Numbers don't lie, and the stats on both receivers support Broussard's stance.

Since joining the NFL in 2016, Hill ranks third in receiving touchdowns (56), second in all-purpose yards (8,745), and first in both 40-plus yard TD receptions (21) and 50-plus yard TD grabs (13). Last season, the six-time Pro Bowler hauled in 111 receptions for 1,239 yards and nine TD receptions, finishing top 10 in all three categories.

Waddle, on the other hand, had 104 catches (NFL record for rookies), 1,015 receiving yards and six receiving TDs last season and is just one of two rookies to post 10-plus catches in three separate games. He also set a Dolphins rookie record for single-game receptions with 12 in Week 3.